India, Oct. 12 -- As a reporter covering Gurugram for years, I have watched the city transform from a rapidly developing corporate hub into a sprawling urban centre. Residents' complaints have grown alongside it.

Whenever a major issue arises, administrative action follows. An official is transferred, another is suspended, a committee is formed, notices are issued, and explanations are sought. While this creates a brief impression of responsiveness, it leaves residents asking a fundamental question: Does transferring an individual official actually fix the underlying problem?

I often find myself asking the same question.

Scroll through any residents' WhatsApp group and the list of grievances is endless: broken roads, dust, pollution, t...